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The Music of The Forest
The Music of The Forest
It was warm evening in September 1951. An American couple, Larry and June Adams, were
sitting on the patio of the Simla Forest Hotel in northerm India. There were tall, thin trees around
the edge of the patio. A line, of paper lanterns hung from the trees. By the light of these lanterns
a man sat playing the piano. His name was Mr Lal. He was the owner of the hotel and he liked to
play to his guests in the evening. Most of them enjoyed Mr. Lal. He was the owner of the hotel
and he liked to play to his guests in the evening. Most of them enjoyed Mr. Lal is music.
But Larry Adams wasn’t enjoying the music. In fact, he wasn’t enjoying anything very much. And
he knew why. Larry was in India because he wanted to kill a tiger. He wanted to hang a tiger´s
head on the wall of his home in New Jersey. Him friend, Ralph, had a puma´s head on his wall.
But tigers are more dangerous than pumas. Larry wanted to show his friend that he was not afraid
of dangerous animals. And so he left the hotel every day with his gun and went into the forest.
But he hadn’t seen a single tiger.
Now he felt angry and bored, and Mr Lal´s strange music was making him nervous.
What terrible music, Larry said to his wife. Why doesn’t the play something we know?
June smile. We are in India, Larry. You won´t get American songs here. Anyway, she continued,
I like his music. It´s calm, relaxing and….
Strange? Larry interrupted. Because that´s what I think it is strange.
I was going to say mysterious, June said. Do you know what your problem is, Larry? You don’t
have any imagination. You shouldn’t kill animals. You should draw them, like I do. Then it won´t
matter if you don’t find any.
You can draw them from your imagination.
You are an artist, Larry said. You know how to draw. I don’t. but I know how to use a gun. He
stood up and went to the piano.
June picked up her drawing book and followed him.
There were empty around the piano. Larry and June sat down. Larry took out a cigarette.
Mr Lal smiled at his guests and continued playing.
What do you call that music? Larry asked in a loud voice.
I wrote this music, Mr Adams. But the inspiration for it comes from the forest. It is the music of the
forest.
Larry looked at June and laughed. Maybe that is why I don not see any tigers. They have run
away from the music. Don not be offensive, Larry, June said.
It is not because of my music that you do not see any tigers, Mr Adams, Mr Lal said calmly. It is
because of your gun.
The tigers don not know about my gun, Larry said. They are not intelligent enough.
Mr Lal stopped playing and looked at Larry. It is not a question of intelligence, Mr Adams. It is a
question of communication. The animals of the forest don not need to see you. They know you
are there. And they know you want to hurt them. You must understand that the forest
communicates with the animals that live inside it. It is like a mother who guards her children. It
tells them of dangerous situations. And the forest can do terrible things to anyone who brings
death to it.
Larry laughed. What an absurd idea.
I am sorry you do not believe me, Mr Adams. Many men who come here do not believe me. Some
of them will never return to their homes. They are dead. And how did they die? They had
accidents, Mr Adams. They had accidents in the heart of the forest that no one could explain.
I don not believe it, Larry said. He tried to look calm but June could see that he was nervous.
Mr Lal moved his head closer to Larry´s. It is true, Mr. Adams, he said softly.
Larry wanted to look away but he couldn´t. he was held by the power of Mr Lal´s dark brown eyes.
He felt their mysterious energy burning into him like red fire. Listen, Mr Adams, Mr Lal said. Listen.
Larry listened. At first he heard morning. Then slowly the night sounds. They were strange, difficult
to identify, and the trees moved above them like an agry sea. He stood up suddenly and spoke
to his wife. I am going to bed. I am bored of Mr Lal is stories. He turned and walked into the hotel.
June didn´t think Larry was bored. She thought he was afraid. She watched him go up the stairs
to their room. A noise caught her attention.
It was Mr Lal. He was closing the piano. I am sorry about your husband, Mrs Adams, he said. I
did not want to make him angry. But I am sad that so many foreign people come here to kill the
animals of the forest. I must do what I can to fight for the animals. Maybe that will not be necessary
soon. India is an independent country now. I hope the government will stop what is happening.
I hope so too, june said. She saw that Mr Lal was looking at the drawing book in her hand. She
felt a little uncomfortable and pushed it to the side of the chair.
Mr Lal smile. I see that you and your husband have completely different interests. He is a hunter.
You are an artist. It is a strange combination.
Oh, my husband is not a baf man, Mr Lal. But he is like a child about some things.
Mr Lal waited for June to explain.
Larry has a friend called Ralph, she continued. Ralph is a hunter. He is always talking about the
dangerous situations he is been in. I don’t believe half of Ralph´s stories. But my husband believes
them. So now Larry wants to show everyone that he is as good a hunter as Ralph. He thinks he
can do that by going home with a tiger is head. That is why he takes his gun intro the forest every
day.
I see, Mr Lal said. And while your husband is lloking for animals to kill, you draw them
That is right, June said.
Can I see some of your drawings? Mr Lal asked.
Of course, June said. She opened her drawing book and pulled out some of the pages. She gave
the pages to Mr Lal.
I did these earlier today. You can have them. They are a present from me. I would like to show
you that I am sorry for my husband is angry words.
Thank you, Mr Lal said. But it is not necessary for you to give me these.
Please accept them, June said.
Very well. And thank you. Mr Lal held the pages under the light of one of the lanterns. A crowd of
forest animals looked back at him. These are beautiful, Mrs Adams.
I would like my husband to agree with you, June said.
I´m always hoping he´ll stop hunting and take an interest in other things. But I´m beginning to
think that is an impossible dream.
June saw that Mr Lal was looking at the drawings very closely. When he finally looked up, there
was a strange light in his eyes. Impossible? Nothing is impossible, Mrs Adams.
Together they walked into the hotel. Mr Lal stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Goodnight, Mrs
Adams. Sleep well. Maybe tomorrow will bring better things. He smiled mysteriously, and left her.
June Adams did slepp well that night. But Larry did not. He had terrible dreams. At three o´clock
in the morning he woke up. He felt hot and uncomfortable. He looked at his wife. She was sleeping
calmly. Why can´t sleep like that? He asked himself. He sat up. Their bedroom was above the
patio. The window was open and he could hear the sounds of the forest outside. He thought of
Mr Lal is words-The forest can do terrible things to anyone who brings death to it. – And he felt
afraid.
Suddenly something moved on the wall opposite the window. Larry looked at the wall and saw a
crowd of strange black forms. They seemed to dance to the sound of the trees in the soft yellow
light that came through the open window.
What are they? Larry asked himself. Then he saw that they were shadows – shadows of the
animals of the forest.
He didn’t like the way they moved. He felt they were going to attack him. He closed his eyes. But
that didn’t help. He imagined the animals pulling him through the window into the dark, singing
trees.
Larry was very afraid now. He got out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He closed the door. The
sounds were quieter and he began to feel better. He also began to think that maybe Mr Lal was
right.
At nine o’clock the next morning Mrs Adams was standing on the patio with Mr Lal. She was
saying goodbye.
My husband has decided to leave early, June explained.
I am very sorry to go. I have enjoyed being here. But I am happy in another way.
In what way, Mrs Adams? Mr Lal asked.
Larry told me this morning that he is tired of hunting.
He´d like us to visit the Taj Majal and the Pearl Mosquet at Agra. I´m happy because he is
beginning to show an interest in other things. I think that is because of you, because of the things
you said last night.
Mr Lal looked up at the lanterns hanging from the trees above his head. No Mrs Adams, he said.
It is because of both of us.
June Adams looked up too. And there, on the outside of each lantern she saw her drawing – one
fixed to the outside of each lantern she saw her drawings – one fixed to the outside of each
lantern. She imagined their shadows at night, thrown by the light of the lanterns. A very strange
and interesting effect, Mrs Adams, Mr Lal said, with a quiet smile.
¿Qué son? Se preguntó Larry. Entonces vio que eran sombras, sombras de los animales del
bosque. No le gustaba la forma en que se movían. Sintió que iban a atacarlo. Cerró los ojos.
Pero eso no ayudó. Se imaginó a los animales tirándolo por la ventana hacia la oscuridad,
cantando árboles. Larry estaba muy asustado ahora. Se levantó de la cama y corrió al baño. Él
cerró la puerta. Los sonidos eran más bajos y comenzó a sentirse mejor. También comenzó a
pensar que tal vez el señor Lal tenía razón. A las nueve de la mañana, a la mañana siguiente,
la señora Adams estaba en el patio con el señor Lal. Ella se estaba despidiendo. Mi esposo ha
decidido irse temprano, explicó June. Lamento mucho ir. He disfrutado estar aquí. Pero soy
feliz de otra manera. ¿De qué manera, señora Adams? Preguntó el señor Lal. Larry me dijo
esta mañana que está cansado de cazar.
Nos gustaría que visitáramos el Taj Majal y el Pearl Mosquet en Agra. Estoy feliz porque está
empezando a mostrar interés en otras cosas. Creo que es por ti, por las cosas que dijiste
anoche. El señor Lal miró las linternas que colgaban de los árboles sobre su cabeza. No
señora Adams, dijo. Es por los dos. June Adams levantó la vista también. Y allí, en el exterior
de cada linterna vio su dibujo, uno fijo al exterior de cada linterna, vio sus dibujos, uno fijo al
exterior de cada linterna. Imaginó sus sombras en la noche, arrojadas por la luz de las
linternas. Un efecto muy extraño e interesante, señora Adams, dijo el señor Lal, con una
sonrisa tranquila.
Mi historia favorita fue LA MUSICA DEL BOSQUE porque hace referencia a que no hay que
cazar a los animales y nos ayuda a reflexionar.
La lección es que si existen personas que quieren proteger la naturaleza en este caso a los
tigres y hacer todo lo posible para que cambien, para que las personas puedan realizar otras
actividades que reemplacen la cacería, porque solo lo hacen por demostrar fuerza frente a los
demás.
Aunque una parte tiene de razón la historia, que es la relación que tiene el bosque con los
animales, debido a que ellos sienten el peligro cuando está cerca y se esconder para que no
los atrapen.
My favorite story was the music of the forest because it refers to the fact that you do not have to hunt
animals and it helps us to reflect.
The to reflect is that if there are people who want to protect nature in this case to the tigers and do
everything possible to change them, so that people can perform other activities that replace the hunt,
because they only do it to demonstrate force to others.
Although one part has a reason for the story, which is the relationship that the forest has with the animals,
because the animals feeling the danger when it is near and they hide.